Curved display and curved display support

ABSTRACT

A workstation assembly comprising an emissive surface assembly including a substantially contiguous emissive surface on which visual content may be presented, the emissive surface assembly including emissive surface sections including first and second substantially flat emissive surface sections wherein one of the first and second flat sections is substantially horizontal and the other of the first and second flat sections is at least somewhat vertical, first and second curved surface sections that are curved about first and second non-parallel axis, the first curved section positioned between and adjacent the first and second flat surface sections, the second curved section adjacent an edge of the first substantially flat emissive surface section, each of the curved and flat surface sections forming a portion of the substantially contiguous emissive surface, a support structure and a driver.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/500,091 which was filed on Sep. 29, 2014 and which is titled “CurvedDisplay And Curved Display Support” which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. Pat. No. 9,261,262 which was filed on Jan. 21, 2014 which is titled“Emissive Shapes And Control Systems” and also claims priority therethrough to U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/756,753 which wasfiled on Jan. 25, 2013 which is titled “Emissive Shapes And ControlSystems” and claims priority to provisional U.S. patent application No.61/886,235 which was filed on Oct. 3, 2013 which is titled “EmissiveSurfaces And Workspaces Method And Apparatus” as well as to U.S.provisional patent application No. 61/911,013 which was filed on Dec. 3,2013 which is titled “Curved Display And Curved Display Support”, eachof which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Thisapplication claims priority to each of the above referenced patents andapplications.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to curved and/or flexible display screensfor displaying output from a computer or other video driver, and moreparticularly to structures designed to support such screens for viewingby a user as well as structures that can be configured using thesescreens such as workstations, kiosks and other furniture artifacts.

Most computers include one or more input devices enabling userinteraction with computer applications as well at least one displayscreen for presenting computer application output. Keyboards were someof the first computer input devices available and enabled text input,movement of a cursor on a screen via arrow key and some otherrudimentary input activities. Mechanical mouse type devices weredeveloped to increase a user's ability to quickly move about on adisplay screen and to rapidly interact with graphical application toolson a screen by dragging a mouse controlled cursor about on the screen.

After keyboards and mouse devices, the next substantial change in inputdevices occurred with the development of touch sensitive displaytechnology which enables users to touch a display screen in order tointeract with content on the screen. For instance, with applicationcontrol icons on a display, a user can touch an icon with a finger tipto select the icon. In some cases a user can move a finger on a screento draw a line or other artifact. In other cases a user can perform aswiping action of a screen to cause some activity to occur. In stillother cases a user may use a virtual keyboard presented on a screen toenter text or other information into an application program. In additionto eliminating the need for other mechanical devices to interact with acomputer program, virtual touch type interface screens have enableddevelopment of many new types of interface features and has enabled asingle device (e.g., the touch screen) to morph into many differenttypes of interfaces.

Regarding display screens, in general there has been a constant drivetoward providing computer display screen configurations that tend toincrease the sense of user immersion in content being presented on thescreens. In addition to helping a user focus on presented content byblocking out distractions, additional screen space or emissive surfaceenables users to simultaneously open and view output from many differentapplication programs which increases productivity in most cases.

One way to increase the sense of immersion has been to simply increasethe size of a single flat panel LCD, plasma, or other type of computerdisplay screen. For instance, while early computers had screens withdiagonal dimensions of eight or less inches, many computers today comeequipped with screen that are twenty-seven inches or more diagonally.One problem with increasing the size of a single screen too much is thatperipheral portions of a large screen near a user at a workstation orthe like become burdensome to view. For instance, if a sixty inch screenwere placed two feet from a user's eyes at a workstation, the user wouldliterally have to turn her head to the side and perhaps upward to seeperipheral portions of the screen. Another problem with extremely largedisplays is that a user's perspective is often skewed with respect tocontent presented on peripheral portions of such displays rendering thecontent more difficult to understand.

In some cases, instead of providing a single large flat panel display,several smaller flat panel displays have been arranged edge to edge withviewing surfaces angled toward each other to be concave generally abouta user's point of view. For instance, several configurations may includetwo or three flat panel displays arranged in a horizontal fashion withrespect to each other to surround a user's workstation. Here, morepixels are provided that are all within a relatively tight range ofdistances from the user's eyes so that the user's perspective withrespect to all portions of the emissive surfaces are acceptable. Anadded benefit here is that the displays themselves form an alcove abouta user's workstation helping to create a private workspace for the user.In some cases, in addition to arranging displays edge to edge in ahorizontal line, one or more displays may be arranged in non-verticalplanes to increase the immersive feeling. For instance, a second screenmay be placed adjacent a top horizontal edge of a first vertical screenand angled toward a workstation space when moving from a lower edgetoward a top edge. One problem with smaller adjacent screens has beenthat screen bezels between emissive surfaces of adjacent screens aredistracting to screen users. Bezels that break up emissive surface arealso aesthetically unappealing.

In still other cases some companies including Samsung, LG and othershave developed organic light emitting diode (OLED) display screens thatcan be formed into rigid curved emissive surfaces. For instance, thesecompanies have developed screens that gradually curve about a singlevertical axis so as to surround a space to be occupied by a user. Thissolution can be arranged at a workstation to provide a single emissivesurface where all portions of the surface are within an acceptabledistance range of the location of a user's eyes for viewing.Nevertheless, this solution does not enable a configuration where ascreen can include both a curved vertical portion as well asnon-vertical portions that may be useful as an overhead display portion,the top of a horizontal desktop, etc.

In addition to enabling construction of rigid curved emissive surfaces,OLEDs have also enabled construction of bendable and flexible emissivesurfaces. To this end, OLEDs may be disposed on a flexible substratecomprising fabrics plastic, a foil or some other suitable type offlexible material. These flexible displays are capable of providing thesame type of performance as glass-substrate displays, but can be used toarrange additional viewing and display configurations, since they can beformed into shaped surfaces (for example convex, concave, tubular,conical and spherical).

In other cases people have developed projector screens that form aportion of a sphere to surround a user and have provided one or moreprojectors to project images onto outer surfaces of the sphericalscreens to facilitate immersive content display. Unfortunately,projectors require projection space and therefore usually require muchmore space than flat panel devices. In addition, projected images areoften not very bright and projectors often have to be used in spaceswith low ambient light in order to generate acceptable images.

One other issue related to computer display screens is that many usershave specific preferences for how portions of the emissive surface usedby the user should be arranged and those preferences may change as theuser uses a work station for different purposes. For instance, when auser uses a workstation for focused independent work, the user may wantemissive surface structure to tightly surround the user to increase theimmersive effect as well as to increase the user's sense of privacy. Incontrast, when a user wants to share content on screens with acolleague, the user may want to reduce concavity of a displayarrangement so the user and colleague can more easily simultaneouslyview the content on the screens. Some solutions have been developed forchanging the angles between adjacent flat panel display screens toaccommodate user preferences.

While there have been efforts to combine touch sensitive technology withworkstation displays, most of those efforts have not been well received.For instance, many computers now come equipped with large touchsensitive displays as well as other input devices such mechanicalkeyboards, mouse type devices, etc. In most cases, while touchcapability is technologically impressive, users routinely use themechanical interface devices instead of the touch sensitive screens forseveral reasons. First, using a vertical touch sensitive screen is oftenergonomically awkward. For instance, when a keyboard is generated on avertical workstation screen a, use requires a user to position handsawkwardly relative to the keyboard in order to type in text. Second,prolonged use of a vertical touch sensitive interface would result inphysical pain in many cases. To understand this point one only needs tohold an arm horizontally for a few minutes and feel the resultingfatigue. Touch screen use requiring a stretched out arm over the courseof a day simply is intolerable for most workstation users. Thus, despitethe advantages (e.g., reduction in hardware costs, ability to providemany different types of interfaces using a single touch sensitivescreen, a more aesthetically pleasing and less cluttered overallworkstation appearance, etc.) associated with virtual touch sensitiveinterfaces, most work stations still include mechanical interfaceoptions and most workstation users only use the touch sensitivecapabilities sparingly.

Thus, there is a need for an optimized workstation configuration thatcan provide a continuous emissive surface (e.g., without intermediatebezels) with emissive portions at locations within a range of distancefrom a user's eyes that is suitable for generally non-skewed viewing andwhere the emissive surface is concave around more than one non-parallelaxis for providing optimized substantially vertical surfaces as well asnon-vertical surfaces for privacy, to support other type of work and forpresenting virtual interfaces for touch input and control. In some casesthere is also a need for a bendable emissive surface having a changeableshape and a structure for supporting the surface in a selected shapethat is preferred by a user.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

It has been recognized that existing flexible or curved screentechnology can be used to configure static workstation structures thatare optimized for creating immersive digital environments. To this end,existing screen technology enables a screen to be relativelyinexpensively bent or formed about a single axis but not about a singlepoint. For instance, existing technology has been used to bring curvedscreens to market by several manufacturers where the screens are bent orcurved about a vertical axis. That same relatively affordable technologycannot be used to form an emissive sphere about a single point or, forthat matter, a portion of a sphere about the general location of aworkstation user's eyes or any other shape that has concavity in morethan one plane about a single point.

According to some aspects of the present disclosure, flexible orbendable display screens or technology that can be used to create curvedscreens is used to form a single fixed emissive surface where differentportions of the emissive surface curve or bend about differentnon-parallel axis. Different curved screen portions can be arranged toform different parts of a workstation. In addition to being optimizedfor function, workstations configured using a single emissive surfacestructure with two or more portions that curve about differentnon-parallel axis are often aesthetically very attractive. Otherfeatures and aspects of emissive surface workstations are contemplatedthat facilitate other useful functions.

It has also been recognized that support structure for bendable displayscreens is needed where the support structure will be able to supportbendable screens in an upright orientation and with different relativedegrees of bending.

At least some embodiments of the present invention include a furnitureassembly including emissive surfaces on which dynamic information may bepresented. The assembly may include a first emissive surface sectionincluding at least a first straight peripheral portion and at least afirst curved portion that curves about at least a first axis. The curvedportions of the first emissive surface section curve about an axis thatis substantially parallel to the at least a first axis. A secondemissive surface section includes at least a second curved portion thatcurves about at least a second axis, the curved portions of the secondemissive surface section curving about an axis that is substantiallyparallel to the at least a second axis. The second emissive surfacesection is adjacent to and abuts the first straight peripheral portionalong the length of the first straight peripheral portion. The secondaxis is non-parallel to the first axis. A driver is provided forcontrolling information presented on the emissive surface sections.

The emissive surface sections can comprise electronic displays. Thefirst and second emissive surface sections can be integrally formedalong the first straight peripheral portion. The emissive surfaces canalso be contiguous across the first straight peripheral portion. Thefurniture assembly can also include a support structure for supportingthe first and second emissive surface sections.

The first axis can be substantially horizontal and the second axis canform at least some angle with a horizontal plane. The first curvedportion can be adjacent the first straight peripheral portion and thefirst emissive surface section can include a first substantially flatportion adjacent the first curved portion. The second emissive surfacecan also include a second substantially flat portion adjacent the firststraight peripheral portion and that separates the second curved portionfrom the first straight peripheral portion. The second substantiallyflat portion can reside in a plane that forms a presentation angle witha vertical plane wherein the presentation angle is between zero degreesand forty-five degrees. The presentation angle can also be between zerodegrees and fifteen degrees. The first substantially flat portion can besubstantially trapezoidal.

The first straight peripheral portion can be substantially parallel tothe first axis. The second axis can be substantially perpendicular tothe first axis. The second axis can form one of an acute angle and anobtuse angle with the first axis.

The second emissive surface can further include at least a secondstraight peripheral portion, and at least a third emissive surfacesection including at least a third curved portion that curves about atleast a third axis, curved portions of the third emissive surfacesection curving about axis that are substantially parallel to the atleast a third axis. The third emissive surface section can be adjacentto and abutting the second straight peripheral portion along the lengthof the second straight peripheral portion. The third axis can benon-parallel to the second axis. The first straight peripheral portioncan be substantially parallel to the first axis. The second axis can besubstantially perpendicular to the first axis.

In another aspect of the invention, the emissive surface sections form aworkstation, the first emissive surface section forming a substantiallyhorizontal work surface and the second emissive surface section formingat least a partially upright display surface. The partially uprightdisplay surface can include at least a flat portion. The flat portioncan be substantially vertical. The flat portion can be centrally locatedwith respect to the horizontal work surface, the second emissive surfacesection including a third curved portion and wherein the second andthird curved portions are on opposite sides of the flat portion.

The first emissive surface section and the second emissive surfacesection can be independently formed and can include a support structurefor supporting the second emissive surface section adjacent the firstemissive surface section.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a furniture assemblyincluding emissive surfaces on which dynamic information may bepresented. The assembly comprises a plurality of emissive surfacesections, each emissive surface section including at least one curvedportion that curves about at least one axis that is unique to thespecific emissive surface section, each emissive surface sectionincluding curved portions that curve about axes that are substantiallyparallel to each other. Each emissive surface section abuts at least oneother emissive surface section only along a straight line between theabutting emissive surface sections. A driver controls informationpresented on the emissive surface sections.

The plurality of emissive surface sections can include at least a secondemissive surface section that abuts a first emissive surface section anda third emissive surface section that abuts the second emissive surfacesection. At least one of the emissive surface sections can include aflat emissive surface portion. At least one of the emissive surfacesections can include at least a second curved portion. The at least onecurved portion and the second curved portion formed by the at least oneof the emissive surface sections can be separated by the flat emissivesurface portion.

The emissive sections can form a workstation, and the workstation caninclude a substantially horizontal and flat work surface and at leastone heads up display surface that forms an angle with a horizontalplane. The emissive surfaces can also form a cavity. The curved portionscan be concave to a first side of the workstation.

In another aspect, the disclosure describes a furniture assemblyincluding emissive surfaces on which dynamic information may bepresented. The assembly comprises a plurality of emissive surfacesections, each emissive surface section including at least one curvedportion that curves about at least one axis that is unique to thespecific emissive surface section, each emissive surface sectionincluding curved portions that curve about axes that are substantiallyparallel to each other. Each emissive surface section abuts at least oneother emissive surface section only along a straight line between theabutting emissive surface sections. A driver controls informationpresented on the emissive surface sections, wherein the emissive surfacesections form a workstation including at least a substantially flat andsubstantially horizontal surface, an upright primary display surface andat least a first upright peripheral display surface wherein the primarydisplay surface is located adjacent a rear edge of the horizontalsurface and the at least a first peripheral display surface is locatedalong a lateral edge of the primary display surface.

The workstation can further include at least a second upright peripheraldisplay surface wherein the second upright peripheral display surface islocated along a lateral edge of the primary display surface opposite thefirst upright peripheral display surface.

The emissive surfaces can be contiguous between adjacent sections.

In another aspect the disclosure describes a display assembly forpresenting information. The display assembly comprises a support armsub-assembly including a base and a support arm member having proximaland distal ends, the proximal end mounted to the base and the distal endopposite and extending from the proximal end. An electronic screen forpresenting the information forms a contiguous emissive surface, andincludes at least a portion of the emissive surface that is bendable toadjust concavity of the emissive surface along a cross section throughthe surface. A screen supporter can engage the screen structure andmaintains the instantaneous shape of the emissive surface in the absenceof an applied force that exceeds a threshold force, and can be mountedto the distal end of the support arm. The emissive surface can havefirst and second lateral edges and a distance between the first andsecond lateral edges can change as the concavity of the emissive surfaceis adjusted.

The display assembly can include a processor for presenting informationon the emissive surface, the processor altering information presented onthe emissive surface as a function of the shape of the emissive surface.The information on the emissive surface can include output from anapplication program including at least one tool bar. At least onefeature of the tool bar can be modified as the shape of the emissivesurface is adjusted. The display assembly can also include at least onesensor for sensing at least one characteristic of the shape of theemissive surface. The processor can alter information presented on theemissive surface as a function of the shape of the emissive surface.

In another aspect, the disclosure provides a display assembly forpresenting information, the display assembly includes an electronicscreen for presenting the information, the screen forming a contiguousemissive surface wherein at least a portion of the emissive surface isbendable to adjust concavity of the emissive surface along a crosssection through the surface. At least one sensor senses the shape of theemissive surface. A processor can be linked to the sensor, the processoraltering information presented on the emissive surface as a function ofthe shape of the emissive surface.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention,then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described. The followingdescription and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certainillustrative aspects of the invention. However, these aspects areindicative of but a few of the various ways in which the principles ofthe invention can be employed. Other aspects, advantages and novelfeatures of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetailed description of the invention when considered in conjunctionwith the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a workstationcomprising a flexible display;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an emissive surface and support structureconsistent with at least some aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flattened plan view of the emissive surface portion of thestructure shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the structure of FIG. 2, albeitsupported by a support structure;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, albeit showing a second flattenedemissive surface structure;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 5, albeit bent intoa workstation configuration;

FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 3, albeit showing a third flattened emissivesurface;

FIG. 8 shows the surface of FIG. 7 bent and supported to form aworkstation configuration;

FIG. 9 is similar to FIG. 3, albeit showing another flattened emissivesurface structure;

FIG. 10 shows the structure of FIG. 9 bent and supported to form aworkstation;

FIG. 11 is similar to FIG. 3, albeit showing another emissive surfacestructure in a flattened condition;

FIG. 12 shows the structure of FIG. 11 bent and supported in a form toprovide two side-by-side workstations;

FIG. 13 is similar to FIG. 3, albeit showing yet another flattenedemissive surface structure;

FIG. 14 shows the structure of FIG. 13 bent to form a workstation;

FIG. 15 is similar to FIG. 3, albeit showing another flattened emissivesurface structure;

FIG. 16 shows the structure of FIG. 15 bent into a useful form tosupport four workers;

FIG. 17 shows the structure of FIG. 15 bent and supported in yet anotherconfiguration;

FIG. 18 is similar to FIG. 4, albeit showing yet another workstationconfiguration;

FIG. 19 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of thestructure shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 shows another partial cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 19,albeit showing a different structure;

FIG. 21 is similar to FIG. 4, albeit showing another workstationconfiguration;

FIG. 22 is similar to FIG. 3, albeit showing another flattened emissivesurface structure;

FIG. 23 shows the structure of FIG. 22 bent to form a workstationconfiguration;

FIG. 24 is similar to FIG. 4, albeit showing two separate emissivesurface sub-structures that are combined to form a single workstation;

FIG. 25 is similar to FIG. 24, albeit showing two other emissive surfacesub-structures that together form a workstation;

FIG. 26 shows a support structure for a bendable emissive surfacesub-structure;

FIG. 27 shows the structure of FIG. 26 supporting a bendable emissivesurface sub-structure;

FIG. 28 is similar to FIG. 26, albeit showing another emissive surfacesupport structure;

FIG. 29 shows a bendable emissive surface sub-structure;

FIG. 30 shows a top plan view of the structure of FIG. 29 with portionsof the emissive surface sub-structure in a first relative juxtaposition;

FIG. 31 is similar to FIG. 30, albeit showing portion of the emissivesurface sub-structure in a second relative configuration;

FIG. 32 shows a perspective plan view of an emissive surface structurethat is consistent with at least some aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 33 shows the structure of FIG. 32 in top plan view;

FIG. 34 shows the structure of FIG. 32 with a generally upright emissivesurface pulled up into a used position;

FIG. 35 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 34;

FIG. 36 shows the assembly of FIG. 35 with an emissive surface pulled upinto a used position;

FIG. 37 is similar to FIG. 35, albeit showing another embodiment;

FIG. 38 is similar to FIG. 32, albeit showing an emissive surfacestructure that includes three bendable emissive sub-structures that canbe pulled up into used positions;

FIG. 39 is a top plan view of a conference table assembly that includesa plurality of emissive surfaces that can be pulled up into usedpositions when desired;

FIG. 40 is similar to FIG. 39, albeit showing a second shapedconfiguration;

FIG. 41 is a top plan view of a plurality of emissive surfaceworkstations like the one shown in FIG. 21 arranged so that open slotsformed by the workstations are aligned with each other;

FIG. 42 is similar to FIG. 35, albeit illustrating yet another emissivesurface structure where a portion of an emissive surface can be pulledinto an upright position when desired;

FIG. 43 shows the structure shown in FIG. 42, albeit where a portion ofan emissive surface has pulled upward and is being folded outward foruse;

FIG. 44 is a schematic showing an emissive surface structure where anemissive surface is formed on two sides of a support structure;

FIG. 45 is similar to FIG. 44, albeit where bezels for an emissivesurface are arranged along a lower edge of an emissive surfacestructure;

FIG. 46 is similar to FIG. 45, albeit where bezels are provided alongtwo edges of a support structure;

FIG. 47 shows an emissive surface structure arranged to form aworkstation where all straight edges of an emissive surface are curved;

FIG. 48 shows the corner of a emissive surface structure where adjacentportions of the emissive surface are mitered to provide a relativelythin corner gap;

FIG. 49 shows an emissive surface sub-structure in a generally uprightposition;

FIG. 50 is similar to FIG. 49, albeit showing the emissive surfacesub-structure in a generally downward position;

FIG. 51 shows two emissive structures like the one in FIG. 49 arrangedto form a well therebetween where the two structures are to be used bytwo different persons;

FIG. 52 is similar to FIG. 51, albeit showing portions of thesub-structures bent down into the well; and

FIG. 53 is similar to FIG. 51, albeit showing two other sub-structuresthat may be used to provide workstations for two people.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The various aspects of the subject invention are now described withreference to the annexed drawings, wherein like reference numeralscorrespond to similar elements throughout the several views. It shouldbe understood, however, that the drawings and detailed descriptionhereafter relating thereto are not intended to limit the claimed subjectmatter to the particular form disclosed. Rather, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter.

As used herein, the terms “component,” “system” and the like areintended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, acombination of hardware and software, software, or software inexecution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being,a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable,a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way ofillustration, both an application running on a computer and the computercan be a component. One or more components may reside within a processand/or thread of execution and a component may be localized on onecomputer and/or distributed between two or more computers or processors.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example,instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other aspects or designs. Of course, those skilled inthe art will recognize many modifications may be made to thisconfiguration without departing from the scope or spirit of the claimedsubject matter.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals correspondto similar elements throughout the several views and, more specifically,referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a first embodiment of a displaysystem 10 that includes a controller 12 and an emissive surface ordisplay screen assembly 15 is shown. Assembly 15 includes an emissivesurface or display screen 14 and, in at least some embodiments, a touchsensor or array of sensors 16. Controller 12 includes a processor, apower supply and one or more input ports (e.g., HDMI cables) forreceiving digital content for driving emissive surface 14. Controller 12can also include an embedded memory system, or be in communication withan external memory port or memory device (not shown), which can be usedto store applications, content, and display configurations, among otherthings. Controller 12 drives screen assembly 15 to display dynamiccontent on emissive surface 14. In addition, in at least some casescontroller 12 receives feedback signals from the screen assembly 15 ifthe screen assembly includes touch sensor 16.

Referring still to FIG. 1, emissive surface 14 may be formed into any ofseveral different shapes, some of which are described hereafter, and maybe constructed using any of several different construction techniques.For instance, in at least some cases surface 14 may include a flexibleemissive structure that is applied to or otherwise supported by a rigidsubstructure that causes the flexible emissive structure to assume andbe maintained in a desired shape. Here, for instance, the flexibleemissive structure may be formed using any of several differentfabrication techniques based on any flexible emissive surface technologyincluding but not limited to organic light emitting diode (OLED)technology, plastic liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, plasticplasma display panel (PDP) technology, electronic ink panel technology,organic thin film transistor (OTFT) technology, etc. OLED technology inparticular has developed to the point where curved display screens arenow being mass produced for consumer markets by companies like Samsung,LG, and others. To this end, see, for instance, US patent applicationNo. 2011/0273411 (hereinafter “the '411 application”) titled “DisplayDevice And Method Of Manufacturing The Same” which was filed on Jan. 5,2011 and which is assigned to Samsung Mobile Display Company, which isincorporated herein in its entirety be reference. The '411 applicationdescribes a method for manufacturing an OLED based flexible emissivesurface structure where an emissive surface can be bent around either ofand X-axis or a Y-axis. See also U.S. Pat. No. 8,518,285 (hereinafter“the '285 patent”) which is titled “Substrate Section For FlexibleDisplay Device, Method Of Manufacturing The Substrate Section, AndMethod Of Manufacturing Organic Light Emitting Display Device IncludingThe Substrate Display” which was filed on Apr. 21, 2010 and which isalso assigned to Samsung Mobile Display Company, which is incorporatedherein in its entirety be reference. The '285 patent describesfabrication methods useable to construct flexible OLED based emissivesurfaces. Many other Samsung and LG patents and applications as well aspatents and applications assigned to other entities have been publishedthat teach various aspects of flexible emissive surface fabricationprocesses and optimized materials for use in such processes, any ofwhich may be combined to construct a flexible emissive surface used toconstruct a workstation or other furniture artifact having featuresconsistent with the present disclosure.

US patent application No. 2013/0147727 (hereinafter “the '727application”) titled “Touch Screen Integrated Organic Light EmittingDisplay Device And Method For Fabricating The Same” which was filed onAug. 22, 2012 and which is assigned to LG Display Co., Ltd., is alsoincorporated herein by reference. The '727 application describes an OLEDbased emissive surface that includes hardware for integrating touchsensitivity into a flexible display screen. Here, the touch sensortechnology senses location on a screen where a user touches the screenand provides feedback to a screen controller (see again 12 in FIG. 1).Other technology for combining touch sensing and a flexible or curvedscreen is also contemplated. In addition, touch sensing may be providedusing sensors that are independent of the emissive surface screenstructure in at least some embodiments.

In some embodiments the entire emissive surface used to form aworkstation or other furniture artifact may be touch sensitive. In otherembodiments touch sensing may only be supported on specific portions ofthe emissive surface that are intended to be used for user input (i.e.,portions of the surface where touch should be sensed).

Referring to FIG. 2, a simple exploded view of an exemplary workstationstructure 18 is illustrated that includes a rigid supportingsubstructure 20 as well as a flexible emissive surface structure 22.Referring also to FIG. 3, when laid flat, flexible structure 22 has aT-shape including a central rectangular portion 30 and first and secondrectangular side portions 32, 34 as well as a third side portion 36,where first and second side portions 32 and 34 extend from opposite sideedges 31 and 35 of central portion 30 and third side portion 36 extendsfrom one of the other side edges 33 of central portion 30. Third sideportion 36, as illustrated, is not rectangular and instead has apolygonal shape having an edge adjacent edge 33 that is the length ofedge 37, an edge 17 opposite edge 33 that is longer than edge 33 andstrait side edges 15 and 19 that angle from opposite ends of edge 33 toopposite ends of edge 17. Thus, each of edges 15 and 19 forms an obtuseangle with edge 33. Bottom edges 11 and 13 of first and second sidesections 26 and 28 have length dimensions that are similar to the lengthdimensions of side edges 15 and 19.

Referring again to FIG. 2, rigid structure 20 may be formed of any rigidmaterial including plastic, glass, metal including aluminum, copper,etc., and may be formed using any of various manufacturing processes.For instance, structure 20 may be formed by bending sheet metal into theillustrated shape or by molding the rigid material into the desiredshape. Although shown in its rigid three dimensional form in FIG. 2, ifstructure 20 were laid flat, in at least the illustrated embodimentstructure 20 would have a shape similar to the shape of the emissivestructure illustrated in FIG. 3. In other embodiments it is contemplatedthat a support structure akin to structure 20 may have a shape, whenlaid flat, that is different than the shape of a flexible emissivesurface structure supported thereby. For instance, a support structure20 may have a laid flat shape that is similar to the shape of anemissive surface to be supported thereby, but that is slightly larger(e.g., one inch in each dimension) so that, after a flexible emissivesurface structure is attached to a support, edges of the rigid supportprotect the flexible emissive surface from impact. In other cases thesupport structure 20 may include other features built into its shapesuch as extending plates for mounting other devices such as cameras,speakers, sensors or the like or for supporting the wrists or forearmsof a device user. In still other cases, where support structure 20 ismolded into a shape, the shape may include some structure that can beeasily molded but that cannot be formed by the flexible emissive surfacestructure 22. For instance, in FIG. 2, the open spaces or slots betweensection 39 and each of sections 26 and 28 may be completely enclosedduring a molding process while still providing support surfaces for theemissive surface structure described here.

In FIG. 2, structure 20 includes a plurality of flat sections that arejoined along common edges by a plurality of curved sections. Morespecifically, structure 20 includes a vertical upright central flatsection 24, a substantially horizontal flat section 29 and first andsecond flat lateral or wing sections 26 and 28, respectively. Betweenflat sections 24 and 29, structure 20 curves generally about ahorizontal axis 27. Here and throughout this specification, whilecurvature about an axis may require that the degree of curvature aboutan axis be constant throughout the curved section, it is alsocontemplated that the degree of curvature may vary along the dimensionof the curved section between two adjoined flat sections or betweenedges of a curved section. Thus, for instance, the degree of curvatureabout axis 27 in FIG. 2 may be greater proximate flat section 24 thanproximate flat section 29 or vice versa. In FIG. 2, because flatsections 30 and 36 are generally vertical and horizontal, respectively,the curved portion about axis 29 curves through approximately 90degrees.

In addition, it is contemplated that in at least some embodiments wherea curved section has a length dimension, the degree of curvature alongthe length dimension may increase or decrease along the length of thesection. For instance, in FIG. 2 where section 29 curves about axis 27,the degree of curvature proximate vertical axis 25 may be greater thanthe degree of curvature proximate vertical axis 23. In this case, wheremember 24 is vertical, member 29 would angle downward from the endproximate axis 25 to the end proximate axis 23.

Referring still to FIG. 2, between flat sections 24 and 26, structure 20curves generally about a first vertical axis 23 and between flatsections 24 and 28, structure 20 curves generally about a secondvertical axis 25. Again, the degree of curvature about axis 23 and 25may not be constant throughout the curved portions of structure 20. InFIG. 2 section 26 is arranged such that a front face thereof forms anobtuse angle with respect to a front face of central flat section 24. Inat least some embodiments the obtuse angle formed between sections 24and 26 is similar to the obtuse angle formed between edges 15 and 33(see again FIG. 3). Similarly, a front face of section 28 forms anobtuse angle with the front surface of section 24 that may be similar tothe obtuse angle formed between edges 19 and 33. Because the anglesbetween facing surfaces 24 and 26 and facing surfaces 24 and 28 aresimilar to the angles between edges 15 and 33 and edges 19 and 33,respectively, after assembly of structure 18, lower edges 11 and 13 ofsurface structure 20 should be close to and substantially parallel withside edges 15 and 19, respectively.

After support structure 20 is formed as illustrated in FIG. 2 or in someother fashion so that the structure includes the supporting frontsurfaces shown, the flexible emissive surface structure 22 may bemounted to the front facing surfaces of structure 20 in any suitablemanner. For instance, emissive surface structure 22 may be adhered tothe front facing surfaces of structure 20. As another instance,structure 22 may be mechanically clipped into structure 20 via screws,bolts, brackets, or any other known mechanical fasteners.

During assembly, because each portion of emissive surface structure 22can flex about any one of several different axis, structure 22 willassume the form of support structure 20 when mounted or attachedthereto. Thus, for instance, as structure 22 is fitted into the spaceformed by structure 20, sections 30, 32, 34 and 36 will naturally alignwith front surfaces of members 24, 26, 28 and 29 and portions ofstructure 22 between the flat sections will assume the curved shape ofthe front surfaces of the curved portions of structure 20. To this end,see FIG. 4 that shows structure 22 mounted to structure 20 wherestructure 22 assumes that shape of the underlying support structure 20.

Here, it should be appreciated that because no portion of flexibleemissive surface structure 22 is required to form about a point or tocurve about more than one axis, the illustrated emissive surface shapecan be provided using current flexible emissive surface technology.Thus, for instance, the portion of surface structure 22 between sections30 and 36 only curves about a single axis 33, the portion of surfacestructure 22 between sections 30 and 32 only curves about a single axis31 and the portion of surface structure 22 between sections 30 and 34only curves about single axis 35.

In FIG. 4, a shape that is particularly useful for constructing aworkstation is shown. The shaped structure 18 includes generallyvertical upright display screen surface formed by emissive surfacesections 30, 32 and 34 as well as a horizontal workstation surfaceformed by section 36. Section 36 and central section 30 are integratedso that there is no seam between those two sections and digital contentmay be provided on any portion of those two sections including thecurved portion between the two flat areas. Similarly, section 30 isintegral with sections 32 and 34 so that there is no seam providedbetween those sections. While there are open slots between section 36and each of sections 32 and 34, those slots are provided along loweredges of sections 32 and 34 and therefore are generally out of the wayof a user's normal field of view. In at least some embodiments a leg orother supporting structure (see 72/74 in FIG. 4) is mounted to anundersurface of support structure 20 to position assembly 18 at a normalworkstation height (e.g., so that the top surface of section 36 is at aheight between, for instance, 30 and 44 inches).

Referring still to FIG. 4, the top surface of section 36 of structure 22is an emissive surface and therefore digital content including virtualinterface tools can be provided on the top surface of section 36. Forinstance, a virtual keyboard may be provided via section 36 for enteringtext or other information. As another instance, a virtual drawing pad,game interface, content control (e.g., for flipping through pictures,power point presentations, etc.), etc., may be provided on thehorizontal surface. By providing touch sensitive virtual interfaces onsurface 36, the interfaces are being provided at a location that isergonomically correct for most workstation users and at a location thatmost users are already familiar with and like. This should be comparedto a case where touch sensitive interfaces are provided on the verticalupright portions of structure 18 that would require a user to routinelyoutstretch an arm to use. In addition to being awkward to use, verticalvirtual touch interfaces tend to cause physical discomfort when usedover extended periods. This is not the case with horizontally arrangedvirtual interfaces where the surface that provides the interface canalso be used to provide support for a system user's wrists, forearms,etc.

Thus, while the entire emissive surface in FIG. 4 may be touch sensitivein some embodiments, in other embodiments only the top surface ofsection 36 may be emissive and in still other embodiments the topsurface of section 36 and the curved portion between sections 30 and 36may be touch sensitive. By providing a surface where only a portion ofthe surface is touch sensitive, costs associated with fabricating anassembly consistent with the present disclosure may be reduced.

In addition to being used with virtual interfaces, in at least someembodiments workstation structures may include wireless transceivers ormechanical ports for linking with other user input deices such as, forinstance, mechanical keyboard, mouse devices, trackball devices, padtype devices, etc.

Referring still to FIG. 4, it should be appreciated that in theillustrated embodiment only portions of the emissive surface structure22 are required to curve upon installation. Another way to reduceoverall cost of an assembly may be to construct the structure 22 toinclude non-flexible portions as well as flexible portions that connectthe non-flexible portions along the locations where the final structurerequires curvature. For instance, referring again to FIG. 2, structure22 may be fabricated so that only portions of sections 32, 34 and 36proximate section 30 are flexible and where the balance of structure 22includes four flat non-flexible sections.

Referring still to FIG. 4, while sections 32 and 34 are shown asincluding curved portions proximate edges 31 and 35 (see also FIG. 3),in other embodiments sections 32 and 34 may also have at least somecurvature along their entire dimensions between edges 31 and 35 and theedges opposite edges 31 and 35. Here, the curvature along section 32between edge 31 and the opposite edge of member 32 may be appreciablygreater adjacent edge 31 and tapper off near the distal opposite edge.Similarly, the curvature along section 34 between edge 35 and theopposite edge of member 34 may be appreciably greater adjacent edge 35and tapper off near the distal opposite edge.

In addition, while section 30 is described above as being substantiallyvertical, section 30 may in some embodiments be angled rearward fromlower edge 33 to the opposite top edge of section 30. Where section 30is angled rearward, sections 32 and 34 may extend as shown in phantom inFIG. 3 at 7 and 9 to better fill the gaps between section 32 and section36 and between sections 34 and 36.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 through 12, other emissive surface structuresare shown in laying flat orientations and in orientations that thestructures would assume after being mounted to or otherwise attached tosupporting substructures which are not shown. Thus, for instance, inFIGS. 5 and 6, a single emissive surface structure 42 is shown in itslaying flat orientation and in a shape that the structure 42 wouldassume after being mounted to a support structure (not shown),receptively.

Referring again to FIGS. 5 and 6, a lying flat shape of an emissivesurface structure 42 and the shape of structure 42 after mounting to asupport substructure are shown, respectively. Emissive surface structure42 is similar to the emissive surface structure 22 described above withrespect to FIG. 3, albeit where structure 42 includes a fourth sidesection or portion 38 along an edge 37 of central portion 30 oppositesection 36. The shape of section 38 is similar to the shape of section36, albeit having side edges that angle outward from edge 37 to a distalopposite edge in directions opposite the directions in which edge 15 and19 when structure 42 is laying flat. In FIG. 6 it can be seen that aftersubstructure support, sections 30, 32, 34 and 36 are all juxtaposed withrespect to each other in similar relative orientations to the waysections 30, 32, 34 and 36 are juxtaposed in FIG. 4 above. In addition,section 38 includes a curved portion proximate edge 37 that curves abouta single axis 44 so that section 38 generally resides abovesubstantially horizontal section 36. Again, the degree of curvatureabout axis 44 may not be constant and instead may change along thecurved portion of section 38. Section 38 is shown forming an obtuseangle with section 30 and therefore, if section 30 is generallyvertical, section 38 may angle upward from edge 37. In other embodimentsa flat portion of section 38 may be substantially horizontal.

Referring again to FIG. 6, in this embodiment, in addition to providinga generally overhead emissive surface section 38 for displayingadditional content, section 38 and an associated supporting substructurealso provide additional privacy for a workstation user. The gaps betweensection 38 and section 32 and between section 38 and section 34 may beadvantageous in some applications as a user of a station, while having asense of privacy, would also have the ability to perceive others withinthe user's space by visually sensing movement on a side opposite theside of a workstation structure used by the user through the gaps.

Again, here, any of sections 32, 34 or 38 may include substantially flatportions or may have curvature substantially along a dimension (e.g.between edges of the section. Thus, see that section 38 in FIG. 6 has aslight downward concavity about a horizontal axis.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a lying flat shape of an emissive surfacestructure 48 and the shape of structure 48 after mounting to a supportsubstructure are shown, respectively. Emissive surface structure 48 issimilar to the emissive surface structure 22 described above withrespect to FIG. 3, albeit where structure 48 includes first and secondupper wing sections 50 and 52 that extend upward from sections 32 and 34along edges shown in phantom at 54 and 56, respectively. Sections 50 and52 are shown as rectangular, although other shapes are contemplated. InFIG. 8 it can be seen that after substructure support, sections 30, 32,34 and 36 are all juxtaposed with respect to each other in similarrelative orientations to the way sections 30, 32, 34 and 36 arejuxtaposed in FIG. 4 above. In addition, section 50 includes a curvedportion proximate edge 54 that curves about a single axis 58 so thatsection 50 generally extends above a left lateral side portion ofsubstantially horizontal section 36 while section 52 includes a curvedportion proximate edge 56 that curves about a single axis 60 so thatsection 52 generally extends above a right lateral side portion ofsubstantially horizontal section 36. Again, the degrees of curvatureabout axis 58 and 60 may not be constant and instead may change alongthe curved portions of sections 50 and 52. Sections 50 and 52 are shownforming obtuse angles with sections 32 and 34 and therefore, if sections32 and 34 are generally vertical, sections 50 and 52 may angle upwardfrom edges 54 and 56.

Referring again to FIG. 8, in this embodiment, in addition to providinga generally overhead emissive surfaces sections 50 and 52 and anassociated supporting substructure also provide additional privacy for aworkstation user. Here, any of sections 50 or 52 may includesubstantially flat portions or may have curvature substantially alongthe dimension between one of the edges 54 and 56 and the opposite distaledge.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, a lying flat shape of an emissive surfacestructure 66 and the shape of structure 66 after mounting to a supportsubstructure are shown, respectively. Emissive surface structure 66includes a central portion 69 and first, second and third side section70, 72 and 32, respectively. Third side section 32 is similar to theside sections described above that are also labeled numeral 32. Centralsection 68 is polygonal including substantially parallel top and bottomedges 74 and 76 where bottom edge 76 is longer than top edge 74 andstraight side edges 78 and 80 that angle outwardly from top edge 74 tobottom edge 76. Section 32 is integrally formed with section 68 alongbottom edge 76. Each of the first and second side sections 70 and 72 hasa similar shape and section 70 is integrally formed with section 68along side edge 78 while section 72 is integrally formed with section 68along side edge 80.

Section 70 includes a straight lower edge 90 and a curved upper edge 92that extends from a top end of edge 78 to the distal end of edge 90. Thecurvature of edge 92 may be constant or may taper from gradual to moresevere or vice versa depending the affect to be achieved in the ultimateworkstation design.

In FIG. 10 it can be seen that after substructure support, section 32 issubstantially horizontal and section 68 is substantially vertical orangles rearward slightly from bottom to top with a section betweensections 68 and 32 that curves or bends about a horizontal axis 94.Section 70 extends from edge 78 and curves generally about an axis 96that is substantially vertical. Here, the degree of curvature may begradual proximate edge 74 and more severe proximate edge 76 with thedegree of curvature increasing between edges 74 and 76. Thus, forinstance, while section 70 may start curving along line 78, thecurvature at the intersection of edges 74 and 78 may be slight such thatthe front surface of section 70 appears to simply continue the frontsurface of section 68 while the curvature at the intersection of edges78 and 76 may be relatively tighter. As seen in FIG. 10, an open cupshaped workstation shape results.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, a lying flat shape of an emissive surfacestructure 100 and the shape of structure 100 after mounting to a supportsubstructure are shown, respectively. Emissive surface structure 100 isprovided to construct two adjacent workstations (see FIG. 12specifically). To this end, structure 100 includes first and secondinstances of the emissive surface structure 22 shown in FIG. 3 whereadjacent side sections of the first and second instances are integrallyformed along a line 102. The first and second instances include sectionsthat are labeled with numbers similar to the numbers used to labelsections in FIG. 3 above, albeit followed by the letter “a” to indicatethe first instance and “b” to indicate the second instance. For example,in FIG. 11, section 30 a is the first instance section akin to section30 in FIG. 3, section 30 b is the second instance section akin tosection 30 in FIG. 3, section 32 a is the first instance section akin tosection 32 in FIG. 3 above, and so on.

Referring still to FIG. 12, after being mounted to a suitablesubstructure support (not illustrated), the emissive surface structure100 assumes the illustrated form where the emissive surfaces form twoworkstation surrounds and where sections 34 a and 32 b are integrallylinked with a curved portion there between that is bent about anothersubstantially vertical axis 110. Although not shown, it should beappreciated that the structure shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 could beextended to configure additional third, forth or more workstation spacesin a fashion similar to that illustrated. In addition, it iscontemplated that one or more other workstation spaces may be integrallyformed in a similar fashion by extending other sections such as section30 a in FIG. 12 to connect to stations that open in a direction oppositethe direction in which the stations in FIG. 12 open.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, a lying flat shape of an emissive surfacestructure 120 and the shape of structure 120 after mounting to a supportsubstructure are shown, respectively. Emissive surface structure 120 issimilar to the emissive surface structure 42 described above withrespect to FIG. 5, with a central section 30, a lower side section 36,an upper side section 38 and first and second wing sections 122 and 124.Here, central section 30 is rectangular while section 36 is polygonalwith a portion proximate lower edge 33 of section 30 shorter than theopposite edge and where section 38 is rectangular and integrally formedto extends from edge 37 of section 30. Wings 122 and 124 extendlaterally from opposite edges 126 and 128 of section 38.

In FIG. 14 it can be seen that after substructure support, sections 30,36 and 38 are all juxtaposed with respect to each other in similarrelative orientations to the way sections 30, 36 and 38 are juxtaposedin FIG. 6 above. In addition, section 122 includes a curved portionadjacent edge 126 that is bent about a substantially horizontal axis 130while section 124 includes a curved portion adjacent edge 128 that isbent about a substantially horizontal axis 132. Again, the degrees ofcurvature about axis 130 and 132 may not be constant and instead maychange along the curved portions of sections 122 and 124.

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, a lying flat shape of an emissive surfacestructure 140 and the shape of structure 140 after mounting to a supportsubstructure are shown, respectively. Emissive surface structure 140includes four rectangular sections or portions 142, 144, 146 and 148 andfour trapezoidal sections 150, 152, 154 and 156. Sections 142 and 146are integrally formed along opposite edges 160 and 162 of section 144and section 128 is integrally formed along an edge 164 of section 146opposite section 144. Section 150 is formed along a lower edge ofsection 142 while each of sections 152, 154 and 156 is formed along alower edge of sections 144, 146 and 148, respectively.

In FIG. 16 it can be seen that after substructure support, sections 142,144, 146 and 148 form four sides of a box or cube like structure andsections 150, 152, 154 and 156 form substantially horizontal emissivesurface sections adjacent and generally below each of sections 142, 144,146 and 148, respectively. Here, the final structure may be used tosupport four persons working on the four different sides of thestructure. Again, here, each part of the emissive surface structure 140curves or bends around at most a single axis and at least two differentparts of the emissive surface structure curve about at least twonon-parallel axis.

Referring still to FIG. 15 and also to FIG. 17, the FIG. 15 emissivesurface structure 140 may also be supported by support substructureshaving other shapes. Thus, in FIG. 17 the surface structure 140 is shownin a different final rigid configuration forming two alcoves, each tosupport one or two different system users.

Referring now to FIG. 18, yet another emissive surface configuration 180is shown that, upon substructure support, has a shape similar to theshape shown in FIG. 4 above. In configuration 180, however, the flexibleemissive surface structure 182 includes additional sections 184 and 186that extend downward from lower edges of sections 32 and 34 and thatcurve around additional substantially horizontal axis 188 and 190 sothat distal ends or edges 192 and 194 thereof are substantiallyimmediately adjacent distal edges 15 and 19 of horizontal section 36 andso that emissive surfaces of sections 184 and 186 are substantiallyflush with the emissive surface of section 36. In this way the gapsbetween sections can be appreciably reduced so that the entire emissivesurface has a feeling of substantially complete continuity.

It has been contemplated that at least some flexible emissive surfacestructures require components that need to be located in a bezeladjacent the emissive portion of the structure such that the lateraledges of the structure cannot emit any light (e.g., is not emissive). Ithas also been recognized that technology has been developed that is inpart based on flexible emissive surfaces to place the bezel hardware(e.g., components that need to be in a bezel) in a plane that isessentially hidden from view when a surface is viewed from a normal usevantage point. In the case of a workstation or other furniture artifact,the workstation or other artifact can be designed to restrict viewingangles to emissive surfaces such that bezels can be hidden from view anda more attractive and better functioning artifact can be constructed.

See FIG. 19 that shows an enlarged portion of sections of the FIG. 18configuration where adjacent non-integral edges 19 and 194 of anemissive surface structure 140 are illustrated and are supported by arigid substructure including sections 200 and 202. Here, emissivesurface section 36 curves or is bent downward about an axis 201 so edge19 actually terminates downward. Similarly, the edge 194 of emissivesurface section 186 is bent about an axis 203 and terminates downward.Adjacent surfaces of sections 36 and 186 are close to each other and, insome embodiments may even contact each other. Here, the bezel forsection 36 is shown at 210 while the bezel for section 186 is shown at212. As shown, the bezels 210 and 212 are hidden at locations where thebezels cannot be viewed by a user of a resulting station. To achieve anaffect similar to the effect shown in FIG. 19, one of two adjacent edgesmay be constructed using the hidden bezel technology and the other edgemay simply run past the hidden bezel edge. For instance, see FIG. 20where section 36 includes a hidden bezel edge while section 186 simplyruns past and very close to the edge of section 36. Again, the bezels210 and 212 are hidden from view after construction.

In at least some embodiments an emissive surface structure similar tothe structure shown in FIG. 3 may be arranged in a different fashion toprovide additional advantages. For instance, see FIG. 21 where anemissive surface structure including a central portion 30 and three sideportions 32, 34 and 36 is arranged with the central portion 30 supportedby a support substructure 20 in a substantially horizontal orientationwhere portions 32, 34 and 36 extend generally vertically upward to forma work station. Here, bent portions exist between section 30 andsections 32, 34 and 36 where each bent portion curves about a singleaxis 173, 171 and 169, respectively. The gaps 240 and 242 afford astation user the ability to perceive other people proximate the stationand on a side of the station opposite the station user via movementsensed visually there through.

Referring to FIGS. 22 and 23, a lying flat shape of an emissive surfacestructure 249 and the shape of structure 249 after mounting to a supportsubstructure are shown, respectively. Emissive surface structure 249 hasa shape that is similar to the shape of the structure shown in FIG. 5above, except that structure 249 forms three openings 250, 252 and 254at the edges of central section 30 between section 30 and sections 32,38 and 34, respectively. In FIG. 13 it can be seen that aftersubstructure support, a workstation for a single user may be constructedwhere openings 250, 252 and 254 afford a station user the ability toperceive persons within the user's vicinity but that are located on aside of structure 249 opposite the user. Here, while the workstationaffords the user appreciable privacy, the user sill has the ability tosense when others are in the area of the user's station.

While the embodiments above describe emissive surface structures whereall emissive surface area is created using a single emissive surfacestructure (e.g., a single flexible emissive surface structure), otherembodiments are contemplated where two or more emissive surfacestructures may be arranged together to form a single workstationassembly along with a support substructure. To this end, affects similarto the affects described above can be achieved with two or more emissivesurface structures. For instance, see FIG. 24 wherein a configuration340 similar to the FIG. 4 configuration includes a single supportsubstructure 20 and first and second emissive surface structures 22 aand 22 b. First surface structure 22 a includes a single trapezoidalemissive surface portion having a shape similar to the shape of section36 described above in relation to FIGS. 2 through 4 while second surfacestructure 22 b includes sections that have a combined shape similar tothe combined shape of sections 30, 32 and 34 in FIGS. 2 through 4. Inthis case, while structure 22 a is separate from structure 22 b, eachhas a straight edge (see 179 and 183) and sections 22 a and 22 b can bemounted to the supporting substructure 20 with the straight edgesimmediately adjacent each other. To reduce the effects of the gapbetween the structures 22 a and 22 b (e.g., to reduce the space betweenthe emissive surface portions of structures 22 a and 22 b), hidden bezeltechnology like that shown in FIG. 19 may be employed.

Referring to FIG. 25, another station configuration 342 is shown that,after assembly, has a shape that is substantially similar to the shapeof the structure shown in FIG. 21, albeit where structure 342 isconstructed using two emissive surface structures 22 a and 22 b. In thiscase, structure 22 a has a shape that is similar to the combined shapeof sections 30, 32 and 34 of the FIG. 21 embodiment while structure 22 bhas the shape of section 36 of the FIG. 21 embodiment. Again, each ofstructures 22 a and 22 b has a straight edge (see 175 and 177)immediately adjacent the other of the structures 22 a and 22 b so thatthe affect can be that the emissive surface portions of the structures22 a and 22 b are very close to each other. As in the FIG. 24embodiment, in the FIG. 25 embodiment the hidden bezel technology ofFIG. 19 may be employed to further reduce the affects of the seembetween the two emissive surfaces.

While the two surface structure may not be needed in the case of someflexible screen technology where different screen sections of a singlesurface structure may be able to easily flex along different axis, it iscontemplated that some flexible screen technology may only facilitatebending about parallel axis. In these cases dual or more surfacestructures may be necessary to construct configurations that areoptimized for privacy and display screen juxtapositions.

While flexible display technology can be used to provide emissivesurfaces that are at least somewhat flexible, many such emissivesurfaces still have at least some rigidity and therefore can provide atleast some of the structure required to hold themselves up for viewing.For instance, some flexible screens will have the feel of a sheet ofpaper that has been laminated in plastic so that, while the screen canflex, the screen has some rigidity and resiliency and therefore tends tomorph back into a non-bent steady state configuration when bending forceis removed. Where a screen is at least somewhat rigid and resilient,some embodiments of the present disclosure contemplate supportstructures for holding emissive surfaces in use positions wherestiffness of the screens themselves is used in conjunction with thesupport structures to maintain position and orientation. Morespecifically, consistent with the description above, support structuresmay be provided that are designed to maintain a flexible screen in aposition in which any portion of the screen that is bent only bendsabout a single axis and where different parts of the screen are bentabout different axis.

To this end, see FIG. 26 where a support structure 248 includes a base72, a pedestal or leg 74, a tray structure 262, a vertical extensionmembers 260 and a support arm 272. Base 72 is a horizontal member thatmay include feet on a bottom surface for contacting an ambient floor andsupporting other structure 248 components there above. Pedestal 74extends vertically upward from base 72. Tray 262 is mounted at the topend of pedestal 74 and includes two arm members 265 that extend forwardas well as a central support member 264 that extends between arm members265 to provide a flat top support surface (not labeled). The flatsupport surface substantially fills the space between arm members 265and includes a top surface that is flush with the top surface of the armmembers 265. Stops 268 and 270 are formed at distal ends of the armmembers 265 and are designed to receive an edge of an emissive surfacestructure (see also FIG. 26). To this end, each of stops 268 extendsupward from the top surface of an adjacent arm members 265 and includesa finger that extends back in the direction of the opposite end of thearm members 265. Here, the channel formed between each finger member anda facing top surface of an arm member 265 will have a dimension that issimilar to (e.g. slightly larger than) the thickness of an emissivesurface structure to be received therein. In at least some cases aresilient and flexible rubber, plastic or other type pad may be placedon the surface of each finger in the channel to retain the edge of anemissive surface structure received in the channel.

Referring still to FIG. 26, extension member 260 extends upward from arear end of tray 262 and support arm 272 is mounted to the top end ofmember 260. Support arm 272 includes a rigid and elongated centralmember (also 272) and forward extending members 274 and 276 that extendforward from first and second ends of member 272. Each member 274 and276 forms an obtuse angle with a front surface of member 272 where theangle is selected so that portions of an emissive surface structurealigned generally therewith will be at optimal orientations with respectto a station user. For instance, the obtuse angles may be anywhere from95 degrees to 150 degrees and, in some useful embodiments, may bebetween 110 and 125 degrees. Stops 278 and 280 akin to the stops 268 and270 described above are provided at distal ends of members 274 and 276,respectively. Again, rubber or plastic pads may be located in thechannels formed by stops 278 and 280 for helping to retain edges of anemissive surface structure.

Referring now to FIG. 27, an emissive surface structure 22 akin to thestructures described above with respect to FIG. 3 is shown mounted tothe support structure of FIG. 26. Here, members 32, 34 and 36 are bentabout axis in a fashion similar to that described above and thestructure 22 is slid into the supported position shown with front edgesof members 32, 34 and 36 received in the stop channels. After mounting,the top surface of member 264 (see again FIG. 26) provides full supportto the portions of structure that a user will usually contact duringstation use. While support for other emissive surface sections onstructure 22 will be less, the forces applied to the other structuresections will be substantially less and in fact may be minimal ifsoftware only requires touch input on the top surface of section 36.

An emissive surface user may want to change the relative juxtapositionsof at least portions of a flexible display screen to accommodatedifferent needs or desired effects at different times. For instance, insome cases a workstation user may want to focus and work independentlyof others and in that case the relatively enclosed workstation structuredescribed above with respect to FIGS. 2 through 4 may be optimal as thestructure affords a good deal of privacy to a station user. In othercases the station user may want to share emissive surface content withone or more other persons. In this case, the user may want to open up anemissive surface structure into a more open configuration so that otherscan view content in a less crowded environment.

For cases where a user may want to change relative juxtapositions ofdifferent portions of an emissive surface structure, at least someembodiments of the present disclosure include articulable supportstructures. To this end, see the exemplary support structure 310 in FIG.28. Structure 310 is similar to the structure 248 described above withrespect to FIGS. 26 and 27, except that structure 310 includes threepivot joints or hinges, a first joint 290 between tray 262 and the topend of leg member 74, a second pivot joint between arm members 272 and274 and a third joint between arm members 272 and 276. Pivot 290 issubstantially horizontal so that pivot 290 enables rotation of tray 262as indicated by arrow 296 while pivots 292 and 294 are substantiallyvertical so that arm members 274 and 276 can rotate as indicated byarrows 298 and 300, respectively. Here, the components of the pivotstructures would, in at least some embodiments, cause at least somefriction so that once the components are forced into position, theposition would be maintained by the joint friction until a subsequentforce is applied so that the rigidity of the emissive surface structurewould not be the deciding factor on where the structure portions wouldbe aligned.

In FIG. 28, the structure 248 is shown including an optional verticallyextending support arm 303 that includes yet another stop structure akinto the stop structures 268 and 270 described above for retaining a topedge of an emissive surface structure. In addition the support structureof FIG. 28 may include supporting members that telescope. For instance,leg member 74 may include a telescoping structure for adjusting theheight of a supported emissive surface structure. As other instances,member 272 may include a telescoping structure as at 374, member 303 mayinclude a telescoping structure as at 379, each of the arm membersincluded in the tray 262 as at 376 and 378 and members 274 and 276 mayinclude telescoping structure as a 370 and 372, respectively. In thismanner, the structure 248 may be adjusted to accommodate different sizesand required shapes of an emissive surface structure. In at least somecases each of the telescoping mechanisms may include friction so thatonce a telescoped position is set, the force applied by a resilientemissive surface structure cannot overcome the friction of the mechanismand the mechanism remains in a set extended position. In other casessome type of mechanical locking mechanism may be provided in any of thepivot mechanisms and in any of the telescoping mechanisms so that once aconfiguration is set, the configuration can be locked.

FIG. 29 shows an emissive surface structure 350 without a supportingsubstructure, where portion 32 has been rotated outward into a more openconfiguration. Section 34 may likewise be supported by a supportingsubstructure for rotation about a vertical axis. Section 36 would bemoveable to change the angle of a top surface thereof to accommodateusers that like to use angled work surfaces.

Referring still to FIG. 29, it should be recognized that in theillustrated embodiment section 36 has an enlarged top surface area sothat, even when sections 32 and 34 are rotated into the open workstationconfiguration, the top surface of section 36 generally fills theworkstation space defined by surface sections 32, 36 and 34.

In at least some embodiments where the juxtapositions of one or anotheremissive surface sections of an emissive surface structure can bealtered, it has been recognized that relative movement of the sectionscan result in different portions of the emissive surfaces being viewableand blocked from view at different times. To this end, see FIGS. 30 and31 that show a top plan view of the emissive surface structure of FIG.29. In FIG. 30, sections 32 and 34 are in relatively closed positionsthat may be suitable for focused single person activities. Section 32 isshown in phantom at 32 a in a relatively open position in FIG. 30. InFIG. 31, sections 32 and 34 are shown at 32 a and 34 a in relativelyopen positions. Comparing FIGS. 30 and 31, it can be seen that a largerportion 352 a of the top surface of section 36 is viewable in FIG. 31when sections 32 a and 34 a are in the open positions than is viewableat 352 in FIG. 30 when sections 32 and 34 are in the relatively closedpositions.

Because viewable surface area of section 36 changes as sections 32 and34 are moved, the content presented on the top surface of section 36 maybe altered automatically to optimize content presentation. For instance,in FIG. 30, see that a virtual window 354 with 13 images is shown alonga lateral portion of the viewable part 352 of section 36. This window354, for instance, may present images corresponding to thirteen separatemost recently accessed documents for use by a workstation user. In FIG.30, when screen section 32 a is moved to the open position, the contentincluding the images and surrounding window may be automatically movedand rearranged as shown at 354 a so that the content continues to belocated at the peripheral edge of the viewable section 352 a of the topsurface of section 36. While the example of automatic reformatting ofcontent here is simple, it should be appreciated that other automaticreformatting is contemplated.

Referring again to FIG. 1, in at least some embodiments a system willinclude a position feedback sensor or sensors 18 linked to thecontroller for sensing the locations of different portions of emissivesurface structures. Here, as the relative juxtapositions of differentsections of a surface are changed, the positions are sensed andcontroller 12 uses that position information to determine how to changethe content displayed on the different sections in an optimized or userpreferred manner. Any type of position sensors may be used including butnot limited to sensors within the pivot joints, cameras (e.g., a cameraabove a workstation or attached thereto to generate images useable toassess relative positions, proximity sensors, etc.).

Other useful emissive surface configurations can be constructed bylimiting curvature of flexible emissive surface structures such that anypart of the structure only curves about a single axis. For instance, seeFIGS. 32 and 33 where an emissive surface table top structure 400 isshown where the structure includes curved emissive edges 404, 406, 408and 410 and a flat emissive top surface 402. Here, by leaving cornerportions of the flexible emissive structure cut out at 412, 414, 416 and418, the edges can be bent about axis 405, 407, 409 and 411 asillustrated to form the curved edges where bezel structure is locatedproximate an undersurface of the structure 400. To this end, see alsoFIG. 35 where a hidden bezel and associated functional components areshown at 466. Although not shown it is contemplated that hidden bezelslike 466 would be located along the edge portions of the undersurface ofstructure 400.

Referring again to FIGS. 32 and 33 and also to FIGS. 34 through 36, inat least some embodiments a slot 420 may be formed in the emissivesurface 402 through which an extendable flexible emissive surface 450can be pulled up and generally vertical for use as shown in FIGS. 34 and36. As shown, in at least some embodiments hidden bezels 464 and 466 maybe provided within slot 420 for terminating portions of top emissivesurface structure 402. Here, as in the case of the corners shown inFIGS. 33 and 34, the corners of the emissive surface about slot 420would also be missing so that curvature of structure 402 into the slotmay be about a single axis at any point along the edge of the slot.Exemplary structure for providing an extendable emissive surface isshown in FIG. 35. The exemplary structure includes a housing member 470that mechanically fastens (e.g., via screws) to the undersurface of asupport substructure and that forms a cavity below slot 420. Guidewheels or rollers 482 are provided proximate slot 420 and may also beprovided along other portions of the cavity 472 for guiding surface 450during extension and storage movements. Power cord 480 is located in thecavity or channel 472 ands links to structure 450 to provide power andperhaps data thereto. A thin flat handle 490 is mounted to a top edge ofstructure 4540 for pulling the structure into the extended position. Arecess is formed about slot 420 so that the flat handle can rest thereinand be essentially flush with the top surface 402 when the structure 450is stored. A support arm assembly 422 is located within slot 420 and canrotate upward into a supporting position when needed. When stowed, thesupport arm 422 is substantially flush with the top surface 402.

Referring to FIG. 36, arm structure 422 includes, in at least someembodiments, two pivots or hinges 504 and 506, a hook 500 at a distalend and a telescoping mechanism 507 along its length. Hinge 504 allowsarm assembly 422 to rotated about a horizontal axis into a substantiallyvertical supporting position as shown in FIG. 36. Once the assembly 422is rotated into a vertical position, hinge 506 enables rotation about asecond horizontal axis perpendicular to the axis of hinge 504 so thatthe arm assembly 422 can rotate into an adjustable tipped position forchanging the angle of an emissive structure supported thereby.Telescoping structure 507 enables a user to adjust the length ofassembly 422 and thereby the height of a supported emissive surface.Hook 500 is designed to cooperate with a coupling mechanism (e.g., anopening in member 490) formed by member 490 to secure a structure 450 inan extended position. In at least some embodiments structure 507 andhinges 504 and 506 are designed to have friction so that once placed ina specific orientation, the arm assembly 422 components maintain thatposition until affirmatively moved by a user.

In operation, referring again to FIGS. 32 and 33, a station user maysimply use the top surface 402 of structure 400 to review content orshare content with one or more other persons proximate structure 400. Ifthe user wants a heads up emissive surface, referring to FIGS. 35 and36, the user can simply rotate arm assembly 422 upward and extend theassembly to a desired height. Next, the user can pull up on handle 490and clip the handle onto hook 500. Once pulled into the use position,the FIG. 1 controller may be programmed to sense that the emissivesurface of structure 450 is viewable and may modify content accordinglyand automatically. The content arrangement may be changed as a functionof the height at which a user arranges the top of surface structure 450.Thus, if the user only pulls the top edge of structure to an weight inchheight the content may be differently arranged than if the user pullsthe structure 450 to a 24 inch height. Here, where structure 450 isrelatively stiff, the structure itself will maintain its generally flatshape and form and will resiliently assume its relaxed form after beingpulled out of the stored position.

In at least some embodiments it may be that long term storage of ascreen in a bent or rolled position may cause the structure to requiresubstantial time to move back into its flat steady state. For thisreason, in at least some embodiments it is contemplated that, while anemissive surface structure is flexible, the structure will neverthelessbe stored in a generally flat orientation and the screen will only bendor curve during short periods when the structure is being moved betweenstored and use positions. To this end, see the exemplary assembly inFIG. 37 where a flexible intermediate fabric member 600 is disposedbetween flexible emissive surface structure 450 and handle 490. Here,fabric member 600 is extremely flexible. Structure 450 is flat whenstored and would also be flat when in the extended use position. In thiscase, in at least some embodiments, the FIG. 1 controller may beprogrammed so that content is not provided to the pull out emissivesurface structure 450 until the structure has been completely pulled outinto the extended position so that the user does not keep the emissivesurface structure in a bent orientation for a substantial amount oftime.

In some embodiments it is contemplated that a workstation may includeseveral extendable display screens. To this end, see fog instance FIG.38 where a top member of an emissive surface forms three slots 420, 420a and 420 b arranged about a location at which a station user may beseated. In FIG. 38 three pull out emissive surface structures 450, 450 aand 450 b are shown in phantom. In addition to enabling a user toprovide more heads up display or screen space, the three extendablestructures enable a user to configure a station that affords a greatersense of privacy. In FIG. 38 note that screen 450 b is shown in apartially extended position which screen 450 and 450 a are shown inpositions where they have been extended to a greater degree.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure contemplate a largerconference table that includes subsets of pull out display screens oremissive surfaces about several different user spaces. To this end, seeFIG. 39 that shows a large emissive table assembly 550 that includes atop emissive surface 552 and groups of three pullout screens 554, 556and 558 and others arranged about an edge of the top 552. Here, top 552may be formed as was the station structure in FIGS. 33 and 34 to includerolled emissive edges as well as the top emissive surface. Each bank ofthree pull out screens 554, 556, 558, etc., may include screens akin tothe three screens contemplated in FIG. 38. Here, in operation, if userswant to work independently of others at table 550, the user can simplyextend screens about the user to afford greater privacy. If users areworking together, the users can retract the screens at the user spacesand carry on a larger conference. In some cases users ma want to extendscreens half way or lower while conferencing so the users can see eachother and still have some vertical heads up access to content (e.g. sortof like a laptop).

Another large table based structure 650 is shown in FIG. 40. Structure650 includes an emissive surface top member 652 as well as three banksof extendable display screens 654, 656 and 658 arranged about the topsurface edge to support three users. Here, the extendable screens arearranged so that spaces or gaps there between when all of the screensare in the extended positions leave sight paths to spaces about the topmember associated with locations of other users. For instance, see thegap 670 that enables users associated with screen banks 654 and 656 tosee into each others spaces when at certain locations in their ownspaces as well as gap 672 that enables users in spaces associated withbanks 656 and 658 to see into each others spaces.

This concept of arranging screen to afford privacy while still enablingusers of different spaces or stations to see each other is alsoapplicable to other stations described above. For instance, see FIG. 41where stations 242 a through 242 e akin to station 242 described abovewith respect to FIG. 21 are shown arranged so that sight paths 680 athrough 680 d are formed through screen gaps at the separate stations.

Referring to FIGS. 42 and 43, another embodiment of an extendableemissive surface structure or display screen system 700 is shown thatincludes an extendable foldout screen assembly 702. The system 700 isshown in the context of an emissive table top structure akin to the onesdescribed above that forms a slot 720 in which the extendable screen canbe stored. The system includes a housing structure 704 mounted below theslot where, in this case, the housing structure is vertically orientedand forms a channel or cavity 706. Here, vertical (or at least angled)orientation may be needed in order to provide a screen assembly whereeach section or portion only needs to bend or curve about a single axis.A power and data cord is shown at 710 that is linked to assembly 702.Rollers 712 are provided to help guide assembly 702 between stored andretracted positions. A support arm assembly 722 akin to the arm assemblydescribed above is hingedly linked in slot 720.

Referring to FIG. 43, a handle 730 can be pulled upward to lift assembly702 into a position generally above the slot 720 and handle 730 can bemounted to a hook at the distal end of the arm assembly 722. As seen inFIG. 43, assembly 702 includes emissive surface portions 702 a, 702 band 702 c that are attached by bent and flexible portions of theassembly 702 where portions or section 702 ab and 702 c can be rotatedoutward as shown into use positions.

In at least some embodiments movement of an emissive surface portion maycause the FIG. 1 controller to automatically log a user out of acomputer system, and lock the workstation or to log a user onto aworkstation.

Referring now to FIG. 44, another embodiment 800 that is consistent withat least some aspects of the present invention includes an integralemissive surface member that bends or curves about edges of a supportstructure and where the surface member substantially covers oppositesides of the support structure. To this end, embodiment 800 includes arigid rectilinear support structure 802 show in FIG. 44 in cross sectionwhere emissive surface member 804 wraps about opposite edges 806 and 808of support structure 802 and has adjacent edges 810 and 812 that arestraight, substantially parallel and adjacent each other. In FIG. 44,the adjacent edges 810 and 812 terminal in bezel members 814 and 816,respectively, that are substantially immediately adjacent each other, sothat the non-emissive portion of the structure 800 is slim and minimal.In FIG. 44 the structure 800 is shown in cross section and thereforeonly showing two edges. It should be appreciated that other edges of thesupport structure 802 may also be wrapped in emissive surface.

FIG. 45 shows a structure 820 that is similar to the structure 800 shownin FIG. 44, albeit where the a seam formed by adjacent bezel members 822and 824 is along an edge of a support structure 826 as opposed to alonga broad side of the structure 826. In this case both broad sides and thetop edge of the structure 820 are completely emissive 828. In addition,from vantage points adjacent either side of structure 820 the bottomedge of structure 820 should appear emissive. Here, the lateral or sideedges of structure 820 may also include curved emissive surfaces thatterminate in bezels 822 and 824 that run along the side edges of supportstructure 826 as shown in FIG. 46. Again, here, from a perspectiveadjacent each broad side of structure 820, the side edges appearcompletely emissive.

Referring to FIG. 47, another emissive surface structure 840 that mayprovide a work station for a single user is illustrated. The structure840 includes a single integrated emissive surface member 842 that issupported by a rigid support structure (not illustrated). Member 842includes two substantially flat or planar rectangular portions 846 and848, portion 846 substantially vertically oriented and portion 848substantially horizontally oriented. A curved portion that curves abouta substantially horizontal axis 844 is located between portions 846 and848.

Referring still to FIG. 47, rectangular portion 846 includes a top edgeopposite the portion that curves about axis 844 and first and secondsubstantially parallel lateral edges. The top edge of portion 846includes a curved portion 864 that curves about a second horizontal axis870 so that the top edge appears to be emissive from a vantage pointfacing surface 846. Similarly, side or lateral edges of portion 846curve downward to form curved side edge portions 8850 and 854 that curveabout substantially horizontal axis 856 and 860, respectively.

In FIG. 47, although not shown, straight bezel members would be providedalong free edges of the emissive surface member 842 rearward of portion846 and below portion 848. Corners between adjacent straight edgesections of emissive surface member 842 are cut out or left open so thatthere is no need for emissive surface portions that curve about morethan one axis. In embodiments where an emissive surface includes one ormore mechanical buttons or switched (e.g., on/of buttons, volumebuttons, etc.), the mechanical buttons/switches may be placed in theopen corners.

In still other embodiments where adjacent straight edges of a singleintegrated emissive surface structure are curved, adjacent edges of thecurved portions may be immediately adjacent each other so that there areno open corners on a resulting structure. To this end, see, forinstance, FIG. 48 where an embodiments 880 includes edges 882 and 884 ofadjacent curved portions that are immediately adjacent (e.g., haveimmediately adjacent bezel sections 886 and 888. This arrangement canresult in a more finished appearance that may be preferred by some.

Referring to FIG. 49, another emissive surface configuration 900includes a single and integrated emissive surface member 902 thatincludes first and second substantially flat and planar rectangularportions 904 and 906 that are separated by a curved and bendable portion908 there between. Member 902 forms an emissive surface 905. In theillustrated embodiment portion or section 904 is substantiallyhorizontally oriented and section 906 is substantially verticallyoriented (e.g., may be slightly angled to extend rearward from a bottomportion to a top edge). In this embodiment a support structure mayinclude features that can be arranged to support the emissive member 902in at least two different positions. For instance, in a personal useorientation as in FIG. 49, portion 906 extends upward and the portion ofsurface 905 formed by portion 906 faces in a first direction and can beviewed from one side of configuration 900. In a sharing or open positionmember 902 may bend downward at 908 so that the portion of emissivesurface 905 formed by portion 906 faces in a second direction oppositethe first direction shown in FIG. 50. In this regard, see also FIG. 51where two structures 900 a and 900 b akin to the structure 900 shown inFIG. 49 are illustrated in a back to back relationship in the personaluse positions where two persons may work independently of others. Seealso FIG. 52 where structures 900 a and 900 b are in sharing positions.See that in the personal use positions, in addition to providing headsup emissive surfaces, portions 906 (see also FIG. 49) provide someprivacy for a user. When structures 900 a and 900 b are in the sharingpositions as in FIG. 52, the structures 906 a and 906 b provide onlyminimal privacy but portions of surface 905 that face each other areviewable in a “well” between structures 906 a and 906 b by personsacross from the structures 906 a and 906 b. In this case surfaces 905that face each other in FIG. 52 can be used to share content with othersacross from a structure 900 a or 900 b.

FIG. 53 is similar to FIG. 52, albeit showing first and second emissivesurface structures 910 a and 910 b in a sharing position. Here, eachstructure 910 a and 910 b includes a horizontal rectangular portion 904and a curved portion 908 that leads into another portion there above. Inthis case, however, about one third of the way up the another portion,the another portion is bendable about a horizontal axis to assume apersonal use-upright position (see phantom) and a downward extendingposition (shown in solid lines) wherein a portion of the upper portionof the emissive surface can be used on either side of the structure forviewing information.

Although a number of exemplary display and emissive surface structuresare shown and described, it should be apparent that the featuresillustrated can be combined and interchanged in a number of differentconfigurations, and combined with other features known in the art. Toapprise the public of the scope of this invention, the following claimsare made:

What is claimed is:
 1. A workstation assembly comprising: an emissivesurface assembly including a substantially contiguous emissive surfaceon which visual content may be presented, the emissive surface assemblyincluding emissive surface sections including: at least first and secondsubstantially flat emissive surface sections wherein one of the firstand second flat sections is substantially horizontal and the other ofthe first and second flat sections is at least somewhat vertical; atleast first and second curved emissive surface sections that are curvedabout first and second non-parallel axis, the first curved sectionpositioned between and adjacent the first and second flat surfacesections, the second curved section adjacent an edge of the firstsubstantially flat emissive surface section, each of the curved and flatsurface sections forming a portion of the substantially contiguousemissive surface; a support structure supporting the emissive surfaceassembly above an ambient floor surface; and a driver for presentingcontent on the substantially contiguous emissive surface.
 2. Theworkstation of claim 1 further including a third substantially flatemissive surface section, the second curved section positioned betweenand adjacent the first and third flat surface sections, the third flatsurface section non-parallel to each of the first and second flatsurface sections.
 3. The workstation of claim 2 wherein each of thefirst, second and third flat surface sections includes substantiallystraight edge portions that abut adjacent curved sections.
 4. Theworkstation of claim 3 wherein the first flat section is substantiallyhorizontal and wherein the third flat section extends at least somewhatvertically upward.
 5. The workstation of claim 4 wherein edges of thesecond and third flat surface sections are adjacent each other andwherein the adjacent edges are substantially parallel.
 6. Theworkstation of claim 5 wherein a gap is formed between the adjacentedges of the second and third flat surface sections.
 7. The workstationof claim 3 wherein the second flat section is substantially horizontaland wherein the third flat section extends laterally from the secondcurved section.
 8. The workstation of claim 7 wherein edges of thesecond and third flat surface sections are adjacent each other andwherein the adjacent edges are substantially parallel.
 9. Theworkstation of claim 4 further including a fourth substantially flatemissive surface section and a third curved emissive surface section,the third curved section between and adjacent each of the first andfourth flat surface sections, the third curved section positioned alongan edge off the first flat surface section opposite the edge along whichthe second curved surface section is positioned, the fourth flat surfacesection extending at least somewhat vertically upward.
 10. Theworkstation of claim 9 wherein edges of the second and third flatsurface sections are adjacent each other and edges of the second andfourth flat surface sections are adjacent each other, and wherein theadjacent edges are substantially parallel.
 11. The workstation of claim10 wherein a gap is formed between the adjacent edges of the second andthird flat surface sections and wherein another gap if formed betweenthe adjacent edges of the second and fourth flat surfaces.
 12. Theworkstation of claim 10 wherein the first flat surface section forms atrapezoid.
 13. The workstation of claim 12 wherein the second flatsurface section is substantially rectangular.
 14. The workstation ofclaim 13 wherein each of the third and fourth flat surface sections aresubstantially similarly shaped.
 15. The workstation of claim 5 wherein agap is formed between the adjacent edges of the second and third flatsurface sections.
 16. The workstation of claim 1 wherein at least one ofthe curved surface sections is flexible and wherein the supportstructure includes at least one member for maintaining the at least oneflexible curved section in a single orientation.
 17. The workstation ofclaim 1 wherein the first flat surface section and the second curvedsurface section are integrally formed and wherein the second flatsurface section and the first curved surface section are integrallyformed and wherein an edge of the first curved section opposite thesecond flat surface section is immediately adjacent a straight edgeportion of the first flat surface section.
 18. The workstation of claim1 wherein at least portions of the substantially contiguous emissivesurface are touch sensitive and wherein the driver presents a virtualtouch sensitive interface via the emissive surface.
 19. The assembly ofclaim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second curved sectionscurves along a length of the axis between first and second ends andwherein the degree of curvature is greater at the first end than at thesecond end.
 20. The assembly of claim 19 wherein the second curvedsection curves along the length of the axis between the first and secondends where the degree of curvature is greater at the first end than atthe second end.
 21. The assembly of claim 20 wherein the first flatsection is substantially horizontal.
 22. The assembly of claim 1 whereinthe first flat section is horizontal.
 23. The assembly of claim 1wherein each of the first and second flat sections is trapezoidal. 24.The assembly of claim 1 wherein all of the sections are integrallyformed.
 25. The assembly of claim 1 further including a third curvedsection that curves around a third axis and that abuts an edge of thesecond flat section opposite the first curved section and a third flatsection that extends from an edge of the third curved section oppositethe first curved section, the third axis substantially parallel to thefirst axis.
 26. The assembly of claim 25 wherein the first flat sectionis substantially horizontal and extends from the first curved section ina first direction and wherein the third flat section extends from thethird curved section in substantially the first direction.
 27. Theassembly of claim 1 further including at least third and fourth flatemissive surface sections and additional curved sections wherein only asingle curbed section resides between each two adjacent flat sections.28. The assembly of claim 27 wherein the first flat section issubstantially horizontal and includes a rear edge and first and secondlateral edges and wherein the second, third and fourth flat sectionsextend generally upward from adjacent the rear edge and the first andsecond lateral edges, respectively.
 29. The assembly of claim 27 whereinthe second flat section is substantially horizontal and wherein thefirst flat section includes top, bottom and first and second lateraledges, the second flat section extending forward from adjacent thebottom edge of the first flat section and the third and fourth flatsections extending generally forward from adjacent the first and sendlateral edges, respectively.
 30. The assembly of claim 1 wherein atleast a subset of the curved sections have a disparate radius ofcurvature along an associated axis.
 31. A workstation assemblycomprising: a support structure supported on an ambient floor surface;an emissive surface assembly supported above the ambient floor surfaceby the support structure, the surface assembly including a substantiallycontiguous emissive surface on which visual content may be presented,the emissive surface assembly including emissive surface sectionsincluding: a first substantially flat emissive surface section having atleast first and second substantially straight non-parallel edgeportions; a first curved emissive surface section having first andsecond substantially straight edge portions along opposite edges whereinthe first straight edge portion of the first curved emissive surfacesection is immediately adjacent and extends along the first straightedge portion of the first flat surface section; a second curved emissivesurface section having first and second substantially straight edgeportions along opposite edges wherein the first straight edge portion ofthe second curved emissive surface section is immediately adjacent andextends along the second straight edge portion of the first flat surfacesection; a second substantially flat emissive surface section having atleast a first substantially straight edge portion immediately adjacentand extending along the second straight edge portion of the first curvedemissive surface section; and a driver for presenting content on theemissive surfaces of the surface assembly; wherein the surface assemblyforms a plurality of emissive surfaces about a work space including atleast one substantially flat and substantially horizontal emissiveworksurface and at least one emissive surface that extends upward andout of the plane occupied by the horizontal emissive worksurface.
 32. Aworkstation assembly comprising: an emissive surface assembly includinga substantially contiguous emissive surface on which visual content maybe presented, the emissive surface assembly including emissive surfacesections including: at least first, second and third substantially flatemissive surface sections wherein one of the first, second and thirdflat sections is substantially horizontal and the others of the flatsections are at least somewhat vertical, the first flat surface sectionforming at least first and second substantially straight non-paralleledge portions and each of the second and third flat surface sectionsforming at least a first substantially straight edge portion; at leastfirst and second curved emissive surface sections that are curved aboutfirst and second axis, the first curved section positioned between andadjacent and extending along the substantially straight first edgeportions of each of the first and second flat surface sections, thesecond curved section positioned between and adjacent and extendingalong the substantially straight second edge portion of the first flatsection and the substantially straight first edge portion of the thirdflat surface section; a support structure for supporting the emissivesurface assembly above an ambient floor surface; and a driver forpresenting content on the emissive surfaces of the emissive surfaceassembly.